Broken arm reorganizes human brain

Study: White and gray matter increase in areas that control uninjured hand

Published: 01/16/2012 at 8:59 PM

(LIVE SCIENCE) — An injured arm can do more than throw a person off balance, it can also change the brain. A new study shows that when a person has a cast or sling on their dominant hand, brain areas responsible for compensating for the injured side bulk up.

The researchers also saw decreases in the size of brain areas furloughed because of the cast.